Elite runner Hayley Carruthers collapsed inches before the London Marathon finish line and still managed to run a personal best

REUTERS/Paul Childs TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Great Britain's Hayley Carruthers falls at the end of the women's elite race.

• Hayley Carruthers collapsed inches before crossing the finish line at Sunday's London Marathon.
• The 26-year-old still managed to set a personal best, while also creating a viral moment.
• Carruthers reportedly recovered fully and plans to return to work as a research radiologist Monday.
• Read more stories like this on BusinessInsider.com.

Elite runner Hayley Carruthers had a dramatic finish at Sunday's London Marathon that quickly went viral.

After running nearly the entire 26.2-mile marathon, the 26-year-old collapsed inches before the finish line, crawling the few steps she had left and setting a personal time record.

After the fall, coaches and race workers rushed to help Carruthers, who was ultimately carried away on a stretcher. The Telegraph reports that hours later, Carruthers said she was well enough to return to work Monday morning. She is reportedly the only female elite athlete who raced Sunday that also holds a full-time job outside of competition, where she is a research radiologist. 

Carruthers told The Telegraph, "I'm not badly injured at all, apart from my pride! I'm really touched that people have been so kind about it. It's not a reaction I expected - it's certainly not my goal to end up in that state at the finish."

On social media, well-wishers and runners rallied around the moment, calling Carruthers' perseverance inspirational.

Other highlights during the race included the completion of the course by 84-year-old Eileen Noble, who finished in 06:28:07,

The race also brought out Prince Harry, despite his soon-arriving child, and inspired massive donations - bringing in £1 billion.

56,398 people were given spots in the race out of a pool of 444,168.

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